Improvement in sewing-machines



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W. 0. GROVER.

Improvement in Sewing Machines.

No. 118,459, SQ Patented Aug. 29, 1871,

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W;O.GROVER- improvement in Sewing Machines.

No.118,45-0. 2 Patented Aug. 29, 1871.

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W. 0. GROVER. Improvement in Sewing Machines.

No, 118,450, Patented Aug. 29*, 1871,

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l mprovgment in Sewing Machines. No. 118,450, Patented Aug. 29,1871.

' '6 Sheets--Sheet W. 0. GROVER. Improvement in Sewing Machines. 7

No. 118,450, Patented Aug. 29, 1871.

PATENT- QFFIGE.

WILLIAM O. GROVEB, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN SEWING-MACHINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 118,450, dated August29, 1871.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM O. GRovnR, of Boston, in the State ofMassachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inSewing-Machines and that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription and specification of the same.

The improvements which constitute the subject-matter of this patent havereference to the following parts of a sewing-machine, viz., the feedmechanism and the shuttle and its appurtenances. All these improvementsare specified in the claims at the close of this specification; and inorder that they may be fully understood I have represented in theaccompanying drawinga machine embodying them all, and I will proceed todescribe the same. In said draw- 1ng Figure 1 represents a sideelevation of the machine drawn of half the working dimensions. Fig. 2represents an elevation of the end of the machine of full size with aportion of the bedplate removed to exhibit parts beneath it. Fig. 3represents a plan of a portion of the machine with the covers of theshuttle-race withdrawn. Fig. at represents a side elevation of certainparts of the machine. Fig. 5 represents avertical longitudinal sectionof a part of the needle-arm and the adjacent parts. Figs. 6 to 14represent views of detached parts of the machine, Figs. 11 to 14representing views of the shuttle detached from the machine.

The machine is constructed witha strong bedplate, A, whose upper surfaceforms the sewingtable upon which the article to be sewed is supported.This bed-plate is surmounted by the needle-arm B, which is hollow, andis traversed by the revolving driving-shaft C that operates theneedle-bar D. The shaft is supported in bearings, one of which, E, is atthe rear side of the needle-arm, and it is fitted at its front end witha crank-pin, a, projecting from the hub F, which enters into andoperates a hollow oblong cam, G, secured-to the needle-bar. Thedrivingshaft 0 is fitted with a pulley-wheel, H, to which thedriving-belt is applied. The needle-bar slides vertically in guidesformed in the head J of the needle-arm, and is fitted at its lower endwith a screw-clamp, b, for holding the needle. The shuttle K of themachine is fitted to reciprocate in a shuttle-track,'L, formed in thebed-plate and covered by two removable slides, m. This shuttle is causedto reciprocate by means of the shuttle-driver M, which is connected by aconnecting-rod with an arm, N, that projects from the rock-shaft Obeneath the bed-plate. This rockshaft is supported in suitable bearingsand is caused to rock by the revolution of the driving shaft 0 by thefollowing means: The driving shaft is bent to form a crank, 01, thewrist of which is connected with an arm, f, projecting from therock-shaft by the connecting-rod g.

The feeding of the material. is effected by the rocking feeder P, havinga toothed feeding-sur face, and operating in combination with thepresser-foot Q, which is affixed to the lower end of a sliding stem, R,and is'depressed by the action of a spring, S, coiled upon that stem.The rocking feeder P is pivoted to a bar, T, one end of which isconnected by apivot with a hanger, U, depending from the bed-plate, andwhich is caused to rise and permitted to drop by means of a cam, V, Fig.4 and Fig. 4 secured to the rock-shaft O. The lowest position of thefeeder is determined by a stop, h, whose stem is traversed by aperforated lug, c, projecting from the vibrating bar T, so that the headof the stop limits the descent of the bar. The descent of the feeder isinsured by the action of a spring, j, which is coiled upon the stem ofthe stop h, and operates upon the upper side of the lug c. The form ofthe cam V is such that the bar with the feeder remains at rest in itslowest position beneath the surface of the table while thefeedingsurface is moved backward. The toothed feeding-surface n iscurved concentrically with the pivot 0, upon which the feeder rocks, sothat it has the form of a segment of a cylinder, and when this surfaceis rocked forward in contact with the material it has the same actionupon the material as a feed-wheel. The feeding-surface is caused toadvance or move forward in the direction for feeding by the rockingaction of an with a screw-shank, s, which is screwed through said bodyand is fitted with a jam-nut, l, by which it is secured in the desiredposition. When the feed is to be adjusted the jam-nut l is slacked, theadjustable piece *r is turned to screw it toward or from the body of thetappet, and the j am-nut is screwed up to secure the parts in theirpositions. In order to rock the feeder P backward, preparatory to itsadvance, a reverse tappet, Z, is connected with the rock-shaft O in theproper position to operate upon the upper side of the arm 2' of thefeeder when the rock-shaft O rocks backward and moves the adjustabletap- 7 pet X from the under side of the said arm 2'. The

distance so which the feeder is moved backward is regulated by a stop,p, which projects from the bar T in position to limit the movement of anarm, q, that projects from the shank of the feeder, and the reversetappet is a spring-plate, so that any change in the positions of theparts due to improper adjustment or to the wear of the parts iscompensated by the yieldin g of the spring-pl ate. Instead of making thereverse tappet a springplate, such tappet (or other instrument forimparting the positive backward movement) may be made rigid, and aspring may be applied to the part of the shank of the feeder upon whichit acts, or may be arranged to intervene between there verse tappet (orother instrument) and the feeder, which construction wouldbe theequivalent of the spring tappet in the combination. This combination ofreverse tappet and stop insures the positive return of the feeder alwaysto the same starting point, which is a great advantage insewing-machines. Both tappets X and Z are not continuously in contactwith the feeder; and, consequently, the latter might be moved too farduring its advance by the rapid action of the ad vancing tappet; itmight also move backward before the proper time. To prevent suchimproper movements a frictional spring, A, is applied to the side of thefeeder so as to produce sufficient friction between it and the side ofthe bar T to prevent improper movements of the feeder. This spring is bypreference constructed of helical form, and is placed upon the shank ofthe pivot e of the feeder, the head of said pivot forming the bearingfor the spring.

The needle-thread for the machine is drawn in the usual manner from aspool placed upon a spool-standard, B, and is passed through athread-tension, C. This thread also, on its way to the needle, is passedthrough the eye 6 of a take-up, D, which is constructed to vibrate upona pivot secured to the head J of the needle-arm, and has two arms, b bthe former being fitted at its end with the eye through which the threadis passed, and the other arm, b projecting over a cam, E, secured to thedriving-shaft O. The cam effects the upward movement of the takeup andcontrols its downward movement, which is insured by the action of aspring, F. This spring, for economy, is made of helical form, and isarranged upon the pivot of the take-up, the movable end g of the springacting upon the body h of the take-up. The cam E is secured its lowestpoint.

to the hub F of the driving-shaft by means of a screw, 45, passingthrough a curved slot in the cam, so that the cam may be adjusted tovary the operation of the take-up according to the peculiarities of thesewing to be done. This mode of operating the take-up by means of a caminstead of, as usual, by the needle-bar, renders the take-up independentof the needle-bar and permits the motion of the take-up to be given andcontrolled in the manner best suited to produce good work, the form ofthe cam being, by preference, made, as represented in the drawing, so asto permit the take-up to commence its descent slowly and then to descendrapidly to The take-up mechanism also operates with little friction andwith no material jar, and, as it is independent of the needle-carrier,the movement of the latter need not be stopped at any time for thepurpose of permitting the take-up to rest during the passage of theshuttle through the loop of needle-thread; consequently theneedle-carrier may have an almost continuous movement imparted to it,and the cam G, by which that movement is imparted, may have easiergrades than has heretofore been customary in machines having theneedle-bar driven in like manner. The shuttle K has, at the inner sideof its butt, a socket to receive one of the journals of the spool G. Theinner side of the head of the shuttle is constructed with a groove, 8,to receive the other journal of the spool, the distance inward to whichthis groove is out being such that the spool is in its right positionwhen its journal rests against the bottom of the groove. The spool isheld in the groove by means of a spring-catcl1,j, whose hookformed endoverlaps the journal and prevents its movement outward from theshuttle-cavity. The spring-catch also operates as a friction-brake uponthe journal of the spool, and produces tension upon the thread. Thespring 'r, by which the catch is operated, is secured to it, and bearsagainst the side of the shuttle-cavity. In order that the tension of theshuttle-thread may be controlled, the side of the shuttle is perforatedwith holes m m, Fig. 3, for the passage of the shuttle-thread, and aspring-thread tension, H, Fig. 12, is arranged in the cavity of theshuttle to bear against the thread passed through the said holes. Theamount of pressure which this spring-tension can exert is adjusted bymeans of a screw, 00, Figs. 3, 11, and 12, whose head is made conical,and is fitted to turn in a conical hole formed in the side of theshuttle, the shank of the screw being screwed into a boss formed uponthe free end of the spring-thread tension; hence the screw can bereadily turned by the application of a screw-driver from the outside ofthe shuttle, which is a great convenience; moreover the pressure of thespring-tension holds the screw-head in its bearing sufficiently firmlyto prevent it from turning by the jar of the machine, and consequentlythe tension of the shuttle-thread is not liable to variation duringsewing. In order to facilitate the passage of the thread through thetension-holes m m of the shuttle the springtension, instead of beingconstructed in the form of a straight-edged bar, is constructed withnotches (see Fig. 12) opposite the tension-holes, so that the thread canbe readily threaded through them without first moving the spring frombefore them. In this construction the sides of the toothed projections abetween the notches of the spring-tension afford the requisite surfacefor pressing upon the thread. In order that the needle-thread may havefree play between the side of the shuttle-race and the shuttle, theupright side 10, Figs. 7 and 8, of theraceis cut awayin the vicinity ofthe needle-track to form a recess, q, through which the needle-threadcan pass freely, and the bottom of the race is cut away to form arecess, t, Fig. 8.

The (lrivingshaft O is constructed, by preference, in one piece with thecrank 01 that operates the rook-shaft 0. I11 order that the crankeddrivin g-shaft may be inserted in its place the opening in the rear sideof the needle-arm must be sufficiently large to admit it, and, on theother hand, that opening should be closed when the drivingshaft is inplace. In order to effect these two objects at a low cost the opening ismade, by preference, of circular form and of the necessary size, and theexterior of the bearing E of the rear journal of the driving-shaft isconstructed in the form of a disk to fit and close that opening. Thisconstruction permits all the parts to be constructed at a low cost andof a neat appearance, and the bearing operates not only as a bearing forthe shaft, but also as a cap to close the opening in the needle-arm.This bearing and cap may be held in its place by means of a screwinserted transversely through the rim of the opening in the arm, or itmay be constructed with a flange to overlap the rim of the opening, andmay be fastened by screws extending through the flange into that rim.

What is claimed as the invention to be secured by Letters Patent is 1.The combination of the rocking feeder with an adjustable tappet forcausing the feeding-surface to advance and for varying the extent ofmovement, the said devices being constructed to with a groove in one ofits ends, with a hook-.

formed catch pivoted in the interior of the shuttle-cavity, andcontrolled by a spring in such manner as to hook over the outer side ofthe spool-journal and hold it in said groove, as before set forth.

5. The combination of the tension-adjusting spring of the shuttle withan adjusting-screw, having its head constructed and arranged asdescribed, so as to bear in a corresponding hole formed in the wall ofthe shuttle, and bearing outward therein, as before set forth.

6. The combination of the shuttle, constructed with tension-holes, withan adjustable-bar tension-spring constructed with notches opposite saidtension-holes, and connected at both ends with the shuttle, as beforeset forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 16th day ofOctober, A. D. 1869.

Witnesses: W. O. GROVER.

JAMES H. BROWN, J AMIES G. WADE.

